The Finale of the Champions League is upon us. - Respect shown towards Dortmund: "Facing a top-notch team"
At the well-reputed Real Madrid, there's a high regard for the German team, Borussia Dortmund, in the Champions League final at London. "They deserve to be in this final. We hold them in high esteem. However, we hope everything goes smoothly as per our plan tomorrow," said Real Madrid's coach Carlo Ancelotti during their press meet at Wembley Stadium on Friday. "When you reach a final, success and failure can be closely related, so there are naturally concerns about whether it will work out or not," he added.
Similarly, Real Madrid's key player Luka Modric spoke in a similar vein about Borussia Dortmund before potentially winning his sixth Champions League title of his career. "The perception that we're the clear favorites doesn't exist in our mind. It's a 50-50 game. We're facing a fantastic team that had an incredible season in the Champions League. We have immense respect for Dortmund," the 38-year-old Croatian commented.
Having 14 wins in the Champions League and previously known as the European Cup of the Champions, Real Madrid is the team with the most Champions League wins. Ancelotti, an Italian, has won the Champions League twice with both Real and AC Milan. He is the most successful coach in Champions League history.
Ancelotti confirmed at the press conference that the Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will be in goal for Real in the game tomorrow (9 pm/ZDF and DAZN) despite playing only four games this season due to a severe knee injury. "Yes, Courtois will be our goalkeeper tomorrow," the 64-year-old said. His backup Andrei Lunin, who recently had a cold and couldn't train, will fly to London on Saturday and sit on the bench.
Here are the pages dedicated to the Champions League final for Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. Check out the team comparison as well.
